‘Infectious and resilient’ – NI’s latest teen star Moore

Play-off between Iceland and Northern Ireland in the Nations League

Date: Friday, October 24; 00 BST Kickoff: Ballymena Showgrounds

Mia is a great all-round kid because she demands so much from both the younger and the older players. Outstanding both on and off the pitch for her.”

Mia Moore made her senior debut at the age of 15 after watching her develop at the club’s academy, according to Glentoran captain Jess Foy.

She then moved on to new pastures before returning to help the Glens defend their title this year.

After a fantastic campaign, the 18-year-old midfielder was chosen to play for Northern Ireland’s senior team for the upcoming Nations League play-off against Iceland.

Given that she had just recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that had prevented her from playing in the 2024 season, Moore’s dominance over Tanya Oxtoby’s plans is even more impressive.

“It’s been a long time, especially for a young player,” he said. According to Foy, who believes Moore played “a huge part” in Glentoran’s victory over rivals Cliftonville, it can be a little easier to cope with mentally as you get older.

Although her recovery demonstrated resilience, Foy claims that Moore’s advancement in Glentoran was accompanied by “everyone talking about this great talent.”

When her senior season was shortened by an ACL injury, she moved across Belfast to Linfield and made her professional debut at age 15.

However, she reconnected with her former club, which she affectionately called “home.”

Foy, who won her seventh title with the Glens, said, “We were devastated when she left, but we knew if she came back, she would do great things.”

Everyone was mentioning the quality she had and how she was dominating youth football as a young child, I just recall.

Thankfully, she was able to carry that into senior football.

Foy continued, “Moore was a great fit from the beginning, and her attitude and application in training stood out.”

Mia says on the pitch, “Mia is probably the hardest worker in training.”

She constantly requests additional sessions and strives to improve.

Foy anticipates Moore “will not look out of place one bit” despite the Women’s Premiership being a significant improvement, especially against a League A calibre side in Iceland.

I sincerely hope she enjoys some time.

“We are aware of her level, and I sincerely hope she shines on the international stage.”

Although she is still a youngster when she was first introduced to the senior set-up, it shows how well she has been working and playing. For a person who is still young, it’s a great accomplishment.

Foy adds that Moore’s “inner-friendly” personality will help her blend in with the squad.

She is very funny, she says. She is probably one of the most at ease and relaxed people you’ll encounter.

She’s wonderful to be around and always makes me smile. She’s always up for a laugh, and the energy is quite high.

Foy claims that getting a group of players who are all at the same age and friends off the field has helped them “gel” on it.

Off the pitch, “they are all great friends and they are all pushing each other to improve,” and that is all starting to come out.

“The older players are now trying to keep up with the younger ones with how much they are demanding of us as players, whether that is through extra sessions or what they are demanding of us.”

Joely Andrews, a midfielder for Northern Ireland, said Oxtoby’s squad’s involvement of Moore and Kerr showed that “the path we have is working.”

Mia and Aimee Kerr are joining us, and they are not just doing it for the sake of it. They are difficult and difficult.

They have a new home and are pushing the training standards.

Mia has excellent ball handling skills and is extremely talented. She is very exciting going forward and aggressive off the ball as well.

She’ll be very valuable to this camp and puts a lot of effort into training, according to the statement.

While Foy anticipates that Moore will eventually play across the water, she insists that Kim Turner, a former international and player for Manchester City, is in charge of her development and that the Women’s Premiership is not a bad place for her.

She “sees quite content with where she is at and where she is developing right now.”

“Mia could probably use a year more here, especially since she recovered from her ACL.” She made a big impact on this year’s league, and I’m confident she can do better.

We all know she can improve on that the following year and she scored 12 goals for us this year.